Proverbs 22:26-27Do not be one of those who give pledges,
who become surety for debts.
If you have nothing with which to pay,
why should your bed be taken from under you?

God is just as concerned (perhaps more so) about why we do something than about what we do. Behavior which appears righteous on the outside may be sinful if done for the wrong reasons. Paul wrote an interesting description to Timothy:

Proverbs 22:10-14 NRSVDrive out a scoffer, and strife goes out;
quarreling and abuse will cease.
Those who love a pure heart and are gracious in speech
will have the king as a friend.
The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
but he overthrows the words of the faithless.
The lazy person says,
"There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!"
The mouth of a loose woman is a deep pit;
he with whom the Lord is angry falls into it.

Proverbs 22:9 NRSVThose who are generous are blessed,
for they share their bread with the poor.

Robert Fulghum wrote, in his book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, "share everything." For the Christian, sharing should be second nature. We should never fail to reach out our hand to someone, even when we think they are undeserving.

Marriage Guidance: Jealousy is a strong, negative emotion that can create sin in our lives. Our heavy-laden emotions literally keep us away from God because we're so wrapped up within our feelings that we are living for them instead of for God.

I know this first hand because I've been there and done that already. I used to be addicted to my emotions. I kept myself depressed and resent-filled within my own little world. I talk about this in my personal testimony Journey on the Roads Less Traveled.

I write this article at a point in my life when I have a friend who is a recovering alcoholic and a recovering narcotic addict. It is a timely message for me and one that needs to be written and well read by many people.

Recovery is much like tending our own garden. A garden needs water, fertilizer, sunshine, good soil and a lot of attention by the gardener. We, as Christians and recovering people need:

the water of prayer, meditation, and communing with God

the fertilizer of fellowship

the "Sonshine" of resting in Him (letting go and letting God)

the rich soil of God's Word in which to firmly anchor our roots. Not only must we read the Word but we must *understand* it and *actively apply* it to our own lives. Roots must be anchored in the soil, they must take up the nourishment and then send it to the entire system of the plant so it may flourish.

a lot of attention by us, as our own gardeners, to remove all weeds that appear.

What does love have to do with recovery? EVERYTHING! Easily a book could be written on this subject but I only have a few lines, so here goes.

Lack of self-love results in a tremendous amount of inner pain. Low self-esteem often leads people to look to sources outside of themselves for the love that they do not feel for themselves. This can result in "looking for love in all the wrong places" like same sex relationships, drugs, abusive relationships, codependent relationships, eating too much, alcohol, improper sexual relationships, etc. Or one might try medicating the pain with drugs, alcohol, food, gambling, etc.

Proverbs 19:5 NRSVA false witness will not go unpunished,
and a liar will not escape.

Our mouths get us into more trouble than most other things, particularly if we are the kind of people who consider ourselves to be moral. I mean, we would never consider shooting someone or punching them out. But it’s nothing to gossip about them with a co-worker in a hidden corner. Rather than express our anger and fear to someone else, we need to learn how to pray.